Students receive blessings for Civil Rights Pilgrimage
Published: February 25, 2015.
Students, faculty and staff paused during their preparations for the Civil Rights Pilgrimage to receive a blessing during the Feb. 22 Mass at the Sancta Alberta Chapel on the Main Campus in Romeoville.
The Spring Break trip is a program of University Ministry, but the students are earning course credit for a place-based workshop on the Civil Rights Movement.
"The Social Justice Pilgrimages serve to invite students deeper into the continuing ministry of Jesus through experiencing the people, places, and history of significant movements towards a more just world," Sean Ruane, university minister and trip coordinator, explained.
The trip is more than to study history. It is an opportunity for students to engage with the places and people who have made significant contributions to social justice. Through the learning by encounter, students will be better situated to respond to the gospel call to do justice.
"I'm particularly excited about visiting Christian Brothers University in Memphis, TN, the National Civil Rights Museum in Montgomery, Alabama, and we will be in Selma for the 50th anniversary of Bloody Sunday, on Sunday March 8," said Dr. Dennis Cremin, professor of history and director of the Lewis University History Center.
Cremin added, "I think this is an amazing way for our students to use their Spring Break."
Student trip participants include Lexi Austring, Alexis Pullins, William Riley and Gianna Capperino.
Lewis University is a Catholic university in the Lasallian tradition offering distinctive undergraduate and graduate programs to more than 6,700 traditional and adult students. Lewis offers multiple campus locations, online degree programs, and a variety of formats that provide accessibility and convenience to a growing student population. Sponsored by the De La Salle Christian Brothers, Lewis prepares intellectually engaged, ethically grounded, globally connected, and socially responsible graduates. The seventh largest private not-for-profit university in Illinois, Lewis has been nationally recognized by The Princeton Review and U.S. News & World Report. Visit www.lewisu.edu for further information.